Returned
by MightyDesoto
Summary: Death brings many things to those who are familar with it. Shark is caught in the middle of a mistake made by another...and he is the one who pays for it. New bonds try to form but what happens when Fate decides that he should have lived? Major SxL
1. Missed

The cold wind outside the window began brushing soft snowflakes against the pane. Spring was coming soon but the snow seemed to linger for a longer time this year than the last. Her breathe hit the pane creating a small circle as she gazed out into the dark wood trees. Lioness sat curled next to the window her knees up to her chest with her arms wrapped around. Her gaze distant and longing, she gazed towards the trees…one in particular. Slowly she put her legs down off of the window bench and pushed off the seat. She put her hands in her pockets, head hanging down, and headed for the door.

The lights of the house were off and the bright sunlight from the snow came inside, the power had gone out and a gloomy tone set over them all…and not just because of the weather. Lioness turned her head to the side and saw hawk sitting on another window bench reading a magazine with one leg hanging down. He usually was smiling imagining himself in the highlights but his face seemed neutral. King walked past her as she made her way to the door and neither looked up at another. Axel noticed her and walked over to her side.

"How are ya feeling lioness," he asked, his voice the only thing in the room making sound.

Lioness lifted up her head and grabbed her coat from the wall. She smiled closing her eyes trying to put on a cheery face.

"I'm just bored here, so I decided to take a walk," she said slipping on her green coat.

"I'll come with ya," Axel said but lioness quickly walked for the door, slightly waving her hand.

"No, it's alright; I just need some fresh air,"

Axel looked at her then nodded his head and she quickly shut the door behind her. Axel stood there a moment squeezing and un-squeezing a book he held in his hands before rapidly turning away.

The cold wind bit against her face as she first entered the snowy landscape. Stepping outside, the crunch of snow filled the air as she made her way along the road until coming along the tree grove next to the aquarium building. She thrust her hands in her pockets and made her way through the dark brown trees which stood out against the snow. Small leaf buds began to emerge on the branch tips, the snow soon to melt. Lioness looked up into the naked branches and continued walking through the cool crisp air.

A breeze brushed by and lioness huddled closer to her jacket slightly gritting her teeth. She made her way ducking under a few branches until she made it to a pretty big clearing. A half smile fit her lips as she stopped for a moment gazing at the thing before her. Before continuing she took her hands out of her pockets and held her arms against her chest. Carefully picking her way, she found herself standing in front of a great oak that was planted in the middle of the clearing. She looked at its dark bark, and sturdy roots, the branches streaking out like lightning, bright green leaves already started to emerge before their time. She looked up high in the branches and smiled her eyes becoming slightly glossy.

"Out of all of the people," she told herself, the woods creating a shield around her words.

"Shark was the one to go,"


	2. Oak

The snow began to twirl around her figure as the chilly but not bitter wind hit her cheek. Lioness looked up into the dark branches of the large oak, its' figure standing there tall and strong. She smiled to herself and pushed her arms under her shoulders walking closer to the tree. The oak itself stood out against the little forest and snow, especially the newly formed green leaves for spring. Lioness tilted her head towards the ground and played with the snow at her feet.

_Out of all the people who enjoyed life the most, it had to be taken away from him_ lioness thought to herself, her heart pumping faster and the tears welling in her eyes.

It had been month since shark had passed on but lioness still felt him around her. Her eyes closed slightly the tears forming in her green eyes.

"Things were actually starting to look brighter, shark," She told herself talking to the tree in front of her. "Our relationship finally broke through the ice,"

She paused again and turned around facing her back to the snow lain tree. Lioness looked toward the aquarium building towards the eastern side of the roof.

"Then you had to leave me,"

Her mind wandered through the snow and she saw shark like a ghost running around with her, him clad in khaki shorts, her in green shorts and a green striped top. She saw the laughing and joy they had playing, you could say a childish, game of tag.

They ran around the trees until lioness hid behind one and shark ran by. She laughed to herself and peeked behind the tree but surprisingly shark wasn't there. She put on a curious face and cocked her head at the emptiness when a few leafs fell from the tree above her. Glancing up she had just enough time to back flip away from a falling shark. Missing his target shark hit the ground and shakily stood to his feet one hand on his head and his eyes dizzy. Lioness pointed and laughed when shark suddenly lunged forward tackling her to the ground.

A tear rolled down lionesses' cheek as the memories disappeared and the snow crossed her path. She sniffed and bit her bottom lip her chest beginning to hic. She put her forearm across her eyes and wiped away all the water from her face. She felt the pain of loss in her heart standing there alone in the woods. The relationship between the two had grown full scale and they were happy…happy until. Lioness' eyes hardened at her thoughts of shark when she remembered why it had happened.

"Paine," she whispered to herself. But her anger froze in the snow, unable to keep the rage.

"He tried to create a power to destroy landmark city…and you were caught in the middle,"

Lioness didn't want to give blame to anybody for his death, but it just kept rolling around in her head unable to stop or slow down. The same moments, remembering every little detail about it, every second.

She knew it wasn't his fault for challenging Paine, not meaning to endanger the team, but it still kept tugging at her.

"What was axel thinking?"

Lioness turned her head to look back up at the tree, the memorial of shark.

"Only you would know those things," she told him "what happened to you shark? Why did you vanish?"

She stood in the snow now putting her hands in her pockets and leaning her back against the somewhat warm tree. All she could think about was that day, the day when it all happened.

* * *

_**Ok the next many chapters are going to be the flash back off how shark died. I know many thoughts are rushing through your head but don't worry! I have it all planned out. I made it so you think one thing but something else really happens. And you will find out what is so special about the tree only until the end of the flash back! And the whole thing with Axel will be explained as well so have patience! Caution, if you're a big axel fan I don't recommend reading.**_

_**Oh and a special thanks to sharkfangirl16 for the review! Sadly to say I am not a professional but i'm trying to be one in the future. As in a career! But you make me want to be one even more!**_


	3. Attention!

Flash back begins!

* * *

The birds outside the window chirped and sped by as most of the team lay scattered around the house. Hawk was in his room while King and Axel were working on something on the first floor. Shark was on the couch his arms laying on the top with Lioness laying across his chest her arms cuddled up to her face as they sat and watching tv. Lioness looked up at Sharks face and smiled before rubbing her face into his blue shirt playfully. Shark glanced down and smiled slightly adjusting himself so she could have a more comfortable position. A smile spread across Lioness' face her mind not really paying attention to the tv but thinking about shark.

_We finally stepped over the line._ She told herself enjoying every minute of it, _and now I don't have to worry any more._

Shark felt an urge and he kissed Lioness on top of her head before looking back up towards the television. Lioness giggled and snuggled closer to him closing her eyes trying to take a nap. Paine had been causing a lot of trouble and the team didn't get much sleep any more from all of the attacks. She was about to fall asleep when Axel called her name from the garage. Lioness groaned and made a face before sitting up and pouting towards Shark.

"why are you lookin' at me like that?" Shark asked laughter hidden in his words.

Lioness smiled and stood up but not without rustling Sharks hair before turning to see who had called her. Axel walked towards the two from the stairs wiping his hands off on a towel, with a not to happy look on his face. Axel noticed the look the two gave each other and slightly glared, not to mention he saw Lioness flirting. Since the relationship started there was now a tense feeling whenever the three where together. To make matters worse Axel was in a fowl mood from their newest project turning out to be a complete failure.

"Lioness, me and King need you in the hanger," Axel said turning his gaze onto a smiling Lioness.

"Alright ," was all she replied brushing past Axel and sliding down the rail towards the garage.

"Do you need anymore help?" Shark asked getting up and putting his arms on the back of his head in a careless way.

Axel turned his back. "no," he stated plainly before heading towards the garage.

Shark made a look of confusing but shrugged it off, he knew Axel had always had a thing for Lioness and was getting used to his attitude that he seemed to constantly have towards him. Shark walked off towards the window taking a breathe of fresh summer air before putting his hands on the sill. Shark opened the window more and jumped onto it leaning against the side, letting the warm wind toss his clothes behind him. He smiled to himself making up his mind before jumping out and landing on the tilting roof.

"it's the quickest way down," he told himself.

He sneakly grinned and slide down the side of the building before jumping on a loose piece of building material. He used it as a board and landed on the ground; unfortunately the make shift board broke and Shark rolled across the ground. He sat dazed for a moment but the rush of adrenaline from his "roof boarding" covered up the slight cuts he had on his arms. Brushing off some grass and getting up he put his hands in his pockets and strolled towards a grove of trees. He turned his head back and glanced in the garage window with a funny grin on his face knowing that his little experiment caught the attention of a certain special someone. .


	4. Jealous

Lioness jumped over the stair rail and landed beside King who was working on his laptop. She came over to his shoulder and peered over to see what he was working on.

"So what do you need me to do?" she asked looking at King then back at the computer screen.

King made a face then began typing before he realized Lioness was asking him a question.

"Oh? What? Yeah I fixed the problem myself, thanks anyway," was all he muttered and Lioness made a face before walking off. Axel came down the stairs and tossed the towel into a basket. He jumped the last step and headed over to one of the cycles.

"If you want you can still hang around," Axel suggested laying his hand across the back before walking to the other side keeping eye contact with Lioness.

Lioness smiled and was about to say something when a noise caught her ear and she glanced out the square window. There she saw Shark fall to his face and managed to hold back a laugh.

"Na, I just realized that I forgot something," she said in almost a laugh before she ran out the back door.

"We'll do it some other time!" she called with a wave of her hand before she disappeared and the door closed shut.

She casually walked past the windows acting like she was going back through the front door when she suddenly jumped behind a tree and was lost from view. She sighed and laughed closing her eyes.

"You're going to get me in trouble one of these days." Lioness said before opening her eyes to see Shark standing next to a tree.

"Well it certainly took you long enough," he joked looking up at her.

Lioness smiled and glared at the same time before walking over to the tree Shark was at. She went to go touch him when he jumped away hands in his pockets. She seemed surprised but lunged forward this time and again Shark slid to the side in a lazy sort of way. Lioness grinned and jumped forward forcing Shark to make a 'gah!' noise before they fell to the ground.

* * *

Axel tinkered with the bike tightening loss knobs before he stopped and made a frustrated noise. His thoughts raced around Lioness and it bugged him to no end. He looked up from the bike and saw King still busy typing away at something while he lifted weights with one arm. Axel stood up and put down the wrench before walking over to the window.

"What could she have possible forgot that was so important?" he asked looking out the window half turned when he saw a flash of the two in the trees. His gaze sharpened and he looked at King who was taking a bite out of a sandwich that seemed to appear out of nowhere. His blood boiled for Lioness ditching him for Shark but tried to act cool afraid King wouldn't notice.

"What's the latest news about Paine?" he asked in an almost demanding way. King gave him a suspicious glance before gulping down his burger.

"I got the man jumping around town. The most information we got is that he is at an old weapon factory.

"That's a surprise," Axel said sarcastically.

"What's bugging you?" kind asked resting one arm behind him on the chair watching Axel leave. Axel didn't reply but stopped on the stairs.

"Paines' just got me heated, lets gear up," was all he said not bothering to look at King. King shrugged it off and closed his computer getting ready. Axel thought about Kings question when he glanced out the window to the thin forest on what was really making him upset.

* * *

**Sorry for not updating very fast and the chapter was just some fluff. But it is going to pick up real soon! Oh and thanks for reading!**


	5. An Old Weapon Facrotry

Lioness and Shark tumbled around through the trees till they came to a clearing. The river could be seen through the trees and Lioness fell next to Shark on the grass. They laid side by side looking up at the clouds. Shark sighed and closed his eyes while Lioness turned her head to look at him. She smiled and grabbed his hand into hers and looked back up into the sky. A rustling came from the woods and Shark sat up; the grass dropping off his shirt and sticking to his hair. Axel came out from the trees and glanced at them before getting back to business.

"Paines been spotted lets gear it up," he said not really smiling at all.

Lioness sat up and looked at Shark who gazed back before getting up out of the grass. She brushed herself off and Shark playfully knocked into her shoulder until he ran back towards the house. Lioness smirked then ran after him. She was stopped as a hand came in front of her. Lioness stopped and looked at Axel. His gaze was strong and hers confused.

"You should be careful with shark he might do something rash one day and you might get hurt," he spoke not breaking his gaze once.

Lioness understood his words, both meanings behind them and smiled.

"I think I can handle whatever lies ahead," she said turning on her spunky attitude.

Axel smiled at her before they both ran off towards the building.

The engines roared and the vehicles darted out of the garage. The day light cast shadows against the street as the team made a sharp curve running across a newly built bridge. Lioness sped up next to the yellow sharkskie and met eye contact with shark. She revved up her engine before popping a wheelie and jumping ahead. Hawk soared above and ran low before darting back up into the sky. Axel met up with Lioness taking the lead before going into a mini race. They jumped across a highway before the buzz of the communicator broke in.

"Paine is situated in a old weapons factory so we are going to have to be on our toes with this one. He is looking for a hidden crystal that is said to deal with time. It was hidden there by some thief a while back and he is looking for it,"

"Let me guess after he found a remainder of the meteor fragment he wants to use it to activate the crystal," Shark popped in saying. There was a small silence before King began.

"And how the heck did you know that one?"

"Too many sci-fie movies dude,"

Lioness laughed and hawk sighed in annoyance. The team skidded to a halt coming upon a not to shabby building. They jumped off their bikes and took off their helmets laying them on the seats.

"We don't know where he is so we won't split up on this one," Axel said peering around the building.

The others nodded before they headed inside. The building wasn't in to bad of a condition but dust seemed to hang in the air.

"Dudes look at all this stuff," Shark said leaning over a crate filled with loaded cross bows.

"They even have sniper rifles," King added holding one up from across the room.

Lioness squinted and put a finger to her chin.

"Why would they have such mixed weapons in a factory?" she asked looking at Axel. Axel pondered over it and grew concerned.

"Probably because someone is still using it," he said. There was a silence over the room and the team grew serious.


	6. But In the End it doesn't matter

The team went to come back together when an explosion came from a nearby wall.

"You're right manning, someone is still using it." Paine said stepping through the wall followed by Spydah and Flesh. He sneered toward them and the gang all jumped into some fighting position. The two cronies jumped towards King, Shark, Lioness, and Hawk while Axel dove towards Paine.

Shark let out a yelp and ducked as a metal leg came swinging over his head cutting of a tiny shred of his hair. King was right beside Shark and caught the leg. He gritted his teeth and Spydah tried to pull his leg back.

"outta my grill!" King called pulling as hard a she could before swinging the large mechanical spider across the room and into a wall. Shark popped up beside him and chuckled while scratching his head. Lioness ran forward towards the large fleshy human before Hawk opened up his jet pack and soared low to the ground in front of her. Lioness jumped on his back and the two soared towards the large human. Flesh swung his dumbbell as a flash of blue passed over his vision followed by a green foot. Lioness laughed as she landed on his head and flipped away. Hawk came up beside her and caught her in the air before putting her down on the ground.

Meanwhile Axel glared down Paine in his fighting stance. The two stood silent for a while before Paine decided to actually talk.

"Come on manning, you think you can defeat me when even your father couldn't?" he said turning away as if Axel wasn't worth his time. Axels' eyes filled with uncontrollable rage and he ran forward his glowing ghost eyes casting shadows. Paine wickedly smiled before counteracting all Axel had to throw at him.

"Getting made are we manning?" he asked again taunting the young male. Axel yelled and lunged forward rage flowing through his veins.

* * *

Shark crashed into a crate of weapons a cloud of dust being sent into the air. He looked dizzy for a moment before sitting up in the splinters. King was now in a power struggle against the mechanical arms as the two enemies pushed against one another. Beads of sweat ran down Kings' face and he grunted his footing slipping. 

"I could use some help over here," he said towards Shark.

The goofy teen nodded and tried to push himself out of the splinters when a small pink stone rolled from out of the crates. Shark curiously picked it up and smiled at finding what the team came here looking for. King grunted again being pushed back farther and Shark quickly shoved the stone in his cargo pant pocket. He would have to tell Axel after helping King. Shark ran forward and kicked the wannabe spider forcing him to lose to Kings' strength. Unfortunately Shark lost his footing and spydah managed to throw him against a wall into a crate shattering yet another into pieces.

* * *

Paine crashed into an open wooden crate as Axel descended upon him. Covering his face with his arms he took the blow and the crate fell to pieces from Axels Jo-lan energy. The two tumbled to the floor and Paine managed to pick up a crossbow from the crate they had just decimated. He went to aim it at Axel but he was to slow. Axel kicked forward and grabbed the crossbow into his own hands. He smiled but Paine glanced from side to side seeing something and did a trick move. Axel grunted as Paine put his own arm against Axels on the handle of the bow against the trigger. Paine locked hands so the two were in a tie. They glared at each other faces only inches apart before Paine smiled. 

"Its time to give up manning," Paine said the cross bow pointed out away from them.

"And why is that Paine?" Axel demanded.

Paine only smiled and looked at where the crossbow was pointed. Axel followed his gaze and gasped. He tried to pull his hand down but with Paine in the same spot he wouldn't let go of Axels hand that was pressed against the trigger. The bow was pointed towards Shark who grabbed his head and got out of a broken crate. Shark noticed this and froze where he was. He was straight in the line of the arrow. In a row it was Shark, then Axel and Paine, followed by Lioness and Hawk 15 feet behind them. King was off to the side all of them stuck. There was a long silence as the old clock struck ten at night. The air was tense and Axel broke out into a sweat.

"If I pull this manning," Paine said looking at Axel, "you're little team mate gets hit. Well I won't pull it, you will,"

Axel looked at the trigger, his hand caught underneath Paines'. He looked at Paine wide eyed and Paine only evily smiled before his large hand overpowered Axels and a sharp snap was heard.

* * *

**Yay chapter! Thanks to all of the three people who reviewed! **


	7. Goodbye to a Friend, lover, and teamate

**Just a little music recomendation for ya: Naruto sadness and sorrow. If you don't know how to get to it just look it up on youtube! )**

* * *

Falling to the wall behind him, slightly letting out a gasp, Shark clutched the arrow with one hand and the other hanging at his side. The blood slowly dripped off the feathered end of the arrow unto the floor where a soft pat was heard on the wooden panels. The feathers stuck together as long deep breaths shook out of a heaving chest. His chest strained for a minute tightening his muscles before rigidly trying to relax them. He bent his head covering his once bright eyes under the rustled blonde hair. A small grin escaped his lips as the breaths grew slightly weaker. Another strain and the smile turned to a grimace and harsh breaths escaped his mouth but the weak smile somehow resumed with all of his strength being put into it.

"I never thought I'de make it this far," he said whispering the words as the blood ran onto his hand, dripping over his knuckles. The yellow turned to red as he strained again but he rose his head this time closing his eyes in extreme pain gritting his teeth before letting his head fall back down to his chest. The hand wrapped around the arrow in his stomach shook with extreme pain as his arm suddenly violently shook and his stomach spasmed.

His legs suddenly gave out under him forcing him to fall to the floor. He held his breathe and slightly looked forward hiding his eyes but not his face. One leg propped up and the other lay on the floor as his elbow rested on it.

"Thank you,' he spoke through the silence that filled the room.

Tears streamed down the girls face watching such sadness and sorrow that filled the figure ahead of her. The broken tears fell as she raised her fingers to her mouth rushing through every joyous thought she could think of to drown out the pain inside of her. Her mind kept giving her hope but in her heart she knew it was too late.

"Thank you for giving me something to believe in," he spoke again his breathing hushed and the hand covered in blood but still tightly gripped against the arrow. "Without you all I don't know how I would have survived."

"Thank you…..for all of the good times,"

_Shark! You're going to miss the action! __I'm coming I'm coming, let me grab my board and we can hit the waves! __Awww you missed it Hawk just lost his shorts! __Hahaha that would have been a sight to see!_

"For all of the hope…..."

_Come on Shark I want to show you something. __Something just for me? __Yeah, just for you._

"And for all of the friendship…,"

_Geez Shark come on! __Aww stop, leave him be. __Don't worry I can handle it. __Yeah but just in case I'll spot cha' alright? __Alright._

The blood seemed to stand out against his skin and suit as the blood came down in a small stream across his knuckles increasing the puddle on the floor. A feeling seemed to jump through every persons' mind at that moment and the tears froze in their eyes when a sudden spasm rocketed through his chest.

But this time.

The hand around the arrow loosened…..like the unwrapping of a leaf… and it rested against his stomach, two fingers still trying to touch it. The elbow on the knee gently fell off in a soft motion falling into his lap against his leg, while the leg faintly tipped to the side.

His head hung down as his chest stopped its rising up and down, and the breaths became still.

His eyes shadowed but a smile was still upon his face.

But there, through the smoke and fire, one small tear began to roll across his face. There they could see it as it left a lonely trail not yet complete of its destination hitting his chin….before it dripped onto his right hand near the arrow washing away some of the blood that stained the hearts of his teammates.

It was there. And they all knew.

Shark was gone.

* * *

**So you finally get to see how Shark died. I wrote it listening to the music and I thought it was emotional. I'de love to hear what you thought about it! And no the story is definatly not over! haha!**


	8. For Shark

_**End flashback

* * *

**_

Axel had come outside and told lioness of the current situation. They all headed out one team member short towards the old weapons factory. They passed over the bridge and Lioness couldn't help but look away from it as they passed. And now…there she stood…in that same spot on the same day. The wood splinters were scattered about and ashes covered the ground where the old building once stood. Lioness couldn't imagine herself back in this same spot, the spot where Shark disappeared forever. Just standing there she felt a harsh ache in her heart. She bit her bottom lip, her breathe sharp and tears welling in her eyes. She gazed upon the stone wall which was still faintly stained with the blood of her lover. She couldn't think of anything but what happened after that, as if she was reliving her worst nightmare.

Shark had fallen and the team rushed forward. But there was a sudden blinding light from his pant pocket and in a flash he was suddenly gone. With no remains the team put up a giant oak next to their building as his memorial.

Lioness went to walk over but a hand fell upon her shoulder. She was torn from her dream and gasped at the sudden touch. There standing beside her was the rest of the team. They were all looking at her and she faintly smiled brushing away a tear. The hand on her shoulder dropped and the team turned their backs to the tainted grounds. Lioness turned halfway and looked back at the wall.

"Why couldn't you have waited for me?" she whispered blinking her tears away. She lifted up a hand and wiped off her eyes. She knew that this was not the time to think of grief and death, they were there to stop Paine from doing harm to others. Lioness didn't want anyone else to end up like Shark did. And so the team scouted through the old building that had been torn down and reduced to rubble.

"Be careful," Axel commented looking around. "Paine must still be after that time crystal we were looking for a few months ago." The rest of the team didn't utter a word; even Axel had to pause for a minute. In the silence Paine's voice broke in.

"That's right manning, I was unfortunate to not have the stone in my grasps and I've come back to look for it,"

Axel raised his arms and the team crouched into battling positions.

"You're going to have to go through us to get it!" Lioness yelled towards the man who walked out of the shadows. He had some new cronies with him and the team exchanged glances.

"This time we pay back what Paine did," Axel whispered. King, Hawk, and Lioness all silently nodded to each other. They all wanted revenge. The goons jumped forward and the team jumped away from one another. Axels' eyes glowed silver and he sent a wave of energy through a small group forcing them to fall to the floor. He stood up and sensed a man behind him. He did a back flip and chopped the evil solider in the neck. The prison escapee fell to the floor with a moan and Axel tried to fight his way over to Paine. Lioness ran behind King who suddenly ducked and became a platform for her to jump on.

Lioness stepped on his back giving her some extra lift and back flipped into the air. She roundhouse kicked three men in a row while King came rushing forward bowling over anyone who got in his way. Hawk had to duck from an oncoming beam of wood before he had the chance to attack. Sprinting forward he slid underneath a goon before slamming a foot into his back. He smirked and smiled to himself until someone hit him from behind. He yelped but came around to smack the man in the face. He muttered under his breathe before continuing.

Axel yelled as he thrust his arms forward. His wave of energy went towards Paine but he was to fast for it. Jumping to the side Paine was able to doge Axels' attack. The wicked man grinned and reached into his pocket while Axel charged forward.

"Tisk. Tisk. Don't you have any manners Manning?" Paine asked pulling out a small green stone. Axel saw that it was a piece of the meteorite and cussed under his breath, his Jo-lan didn't work against it. Axel quickly jumped back and glanced around looking for any weapon he could use. Paine laughed but one of his men hit his shoulders. Axel glanced at Lioness who saluted him, (she had thrown the man). Paine yelled and the stone slipped from his fingers.

"NO!" he screamed trying to reach for it. The fragment flew through the air and hit the ground without breaking. It tumbled along the building remains until it gently knocked into the red stained stone wall.


	9. Returned

The stone rolled and grew slower before it hit the wall. The tip of the meteorite piece touched the old blood mark that was on the wall from before. At that instant there was a sharp crack and a wave of energy was pushed away from it. Paine was thrown against the debris with a grunt and most of his men were tossed out of the building remains. The stars above grew brighter and Axel braced himself against the white force. He was forced to grab onto a box that was close by while King slammed his fists into the ground to make little dents that he could grab onto.

Hawk tried to stand but his feet skid backwards until he knocked into King. King sighed and grabbed hold of his teammate while trying to open his eyes from the wind. Lioness held up her arms in a cross formation and leaned forward as far as she could. She closed her eyes since she was the closest one from the spot and yelled in frustration. Her feet skidded back but she leaned so far forward it was hard for her to be pushed back. Every person on the team strained their muscles as the winds and energy grew harder. But what was strange was that not a piece of the old building was touched or even looked like it moved, it only affected the people.

Like lightning striking the force stopped and everything became normal again. Axel lost balance and slightly tipped forward grabbing back onto the box. Paine fell to the ground and lay in the bundle of splinters while his men were all the way across the area. Hawk fell forward and King hit the ground. All of their muscles had been so tense that the sudden stop threw them off balance. Lioness tumbled forward trying not to fall to her face and she managed to fall on her knee. Her hair draped in front of her face and she sighed in relief. Hawk was about to ask "what the hell was that?" but he couldn't get it out.

A white light had formed where the wall stood casting out any vision. There was dead silence and the surrounding people were forced to close their eyes and look away. Lioness grunted and raised her arms but something made her want to look. The light cast long deep shadows on the floor and their eyes rose to the whitest and most blinding part of it. Lioness lowered her arms, a very strange feeling coming over her. There was a flicker in the light and something began to block it out. It grew larger and became the dark silhouette of something. Lioness fully dropped her arms and gazed forward her eyes tearing from the light.

Out from the spot light, the figure of a person came into view. Silent gasps were made and not a soul could break their gaze away. Color began to flow into the person, smooth curves and a warm look. Lioness face started to creep into a small smile and the tears from the light ran down her chin. The yellow suit, blonde hair, funny smile…Shark stepped out of the light. The white glow behind him began to dim and the team was brought back into reality. Lioness jumped forward running as fast as she could towards him. Her smile broke out and her sparkling tears flew off her face behind her.

"Shark!" she yelled jumping into his chest. He closed his arms and hugged her before swinging her around. The others didn't know what to do, the only thing on their minds was, "how is he alive?"

Shark gently put Lioness back on the ground and she started to laugh into his chest. She closed her eyes and didn't let go.

"Shark," she whispered to him unable to figure out what to say to him. Shark didn't say anything except put his head onto hers. King and Hawk stood up mouths open not even blinking. Axel was shocked and stayed on his knee for a minute looking at the two. He pushed off the box and stood up watching them. It took a moment to sink in before Hawk and King ran over to him. Shark let Lioness go and was tackled by his teammates. He laughed as King punched his arm and Hawk started talking to him. Axel walked over slowly and waited for the commotion to stop. Shark saw him standing there and smiled before shoving his other friends off of him. He pushed off his knee and stood up face to face with Axel.

They stood staring at each other for a moment before Shark couldn't take it and smiled raising an arm behind his head and closing his eyes. Paine was having a hard time and took this chance to make his escape. He glanced back one last time and gave a sickening glare to the team before he disappeared into the shadows of night with his goons.Axel smiled and raised his arm like you would in an arm wrestling competition. Shark opened his eyes and brought his hand around, smacking it into Axels in a friendly hand grab. Lioness watched then looked up to the stars above. Her eyes were deep and soft to the dark space of night.

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

**Yay! This was one of the parts I was waiting for. I wrote this listening to the Final Fantasy Sky theme which I recommend reading with. Ok I know how I'm going to end it but I don't know what to put in the middle of that. If you have any suggestions please let me know!**


	10. Questions

_A Sunny Day. A blue sky. A Gentle wind. It was as if nothing had ever happened. Only the scars left imprinted on their hearts left questions unanswered, feelings untold. What magic, what power could have defied even Gods' will of life and death?_

"Stop moving you idiot!"

"I can't help it dude you keep poking my ribs!"

Shark muttered a laugh, biting his lip to try and stay in control of his stifled laughter. He stood in the living room of the aquarium building without a shirt and only kaki shorts and medical objects surrounding him. Various wires were attached with medical tape to his chest and head, running scans. King sat on a table that had been set up. Computers and some medical equipment had been placed in the room to try and figure out just what had happened to the surfers' body during his time of 'disappearance'. A sunny afternoon light ran through the open windows and a breeze rustled papers on the table. King was busy looking at the medical results, leaning back into his chair and putting his legs on the table. Shark sighed and stood with his arms out from his chest. Lioness sat in her usual window sill with a smile on her face. Axel and hawk both sat backwards in their chairs watching. No one had figured it out. How was shark still alive? Some papers printed from King's computer of Shark's heartbeat and he grabbed them up. Shark slumped into a chair and the medical wires clicked against one another. He sighed again and blew some hair out of his face. They had been running tests all morning and he wasn't the type of guy to have much patience.

Shark hung his head back over the top of the chair and raised his hands to rub his face. King looked over the papers than tossed them up with a grunt that made the team jump in the silence.

"I just don't get it!" he exclaimed crossing his hands over his chest. His eyes were fixed on shark who unfortunately wasn't paying attention at all. The papers floated onto the floor and Axel stood up from his chair.

"You still couldn't get it huh?" he said walking over. Shark lifted up his head and managed to sit in a decent position in the chair. King scratched his head and lifted a long trail of papers for Axel to see.

"All the tests say that there is nothing wrong with him. His vitals are fine, heart rate, blood pressure, mental activity (little as it is) is all the same." King said. Axel took up a paper and tried to make sense of it. Shark watched them and made one of his bored faces. Hawk crossed his arms over his chest and sat up from the chair. He looked at shark than at Axel and King.

"Well we know that the time crystal reacted the moment Shark, well...What I don't get is why it did? What makes him so special," Hawk said looking over to a glass case on the other side of the room. The whole teams' gaze followed and the room went silent for a minute. The pink diamond crystal was unreactive. Just a pretty stone in a glass case. The light from outside flashed on the case and Axel cocked his head. He turned back to look at King and Shark.

"Did you get in contact with Mr. Lee yet? Maybe his doctors and scientists can figure it out." Shark jumped up nearly tipping over the chair he had been sitting in. He rubbed his hand through his fluffy blonde hair and pointed at Axel.

"No way dude, have you seen Lee's scientists buddies. They're all weird man," Shark said while giving a crazy eye and moving his hands in the fashion of a mad scientist. Lioness giggled from the window and King rolled his eyes before standing up..._As if nothing had been wrong._

"Sorry shark but we have to figure this out. This crystal may be more powerful than we thought." King said before leaving his station to grab a snack. Shark pouted and hung his arms at his side with a groan. Axel turned back and walked for the hangar door they still had other things to attend to. He passed by lioness and stopped to look at her. He smiled and made a notion to head for the door.

"Lee left a message earlier for us to have a standard patrol of the city and for Shark to be sent to headquarters. Want to come?" he asked. She jumped up and put a hand on her hip and flicked some hair out of her face.

"Of course I'm always up for some action."

Axel nodded and the two went for the door. Lioness glanced back at Shark with a cutsie smile before jumping down the stairs. Shark smiled back and pulled off the medical sensors but was stopped short as King caught him in the act.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked while drinking some milk from the carton. Shark froze with a guilty face and made a mad dash for the door.

"Sorry dudes but I've been kept in for to long!" He saw the door in sight and nearly touched the handle before two bodies fell ontop of him, pinning him to the floor. King grabbed hold of his legs while Hawk pinned down his chest.

"No way shark, we're not done here yet," Hawk said with a devious laugh. "You've missed out on all of your chores while you were gone and have to do double now!"

Shark groaned and put his face to the floor. He had forgotten all of the things 'living' meant you had to do...Especially let another guy be alone with your girl.


	11. From SpringTo Winter

The wind was cool against his face. Finally he could get some air from all those stuffy tests. Shark crossed his arms over his chest, now covered with a blue vest. He stood in the doorway of the hangar. He leaned against the door and gazed out into the forest. It was different than when he last saw it. The trees were dark and snow still littered the ground and there he was, dressed as if it was the middle of summer. Nearly two seasons he had missed, so many months that he had been away. The wind tossed his hair out in front of his face, beckoning him into the woods. Shark took a deep breath and let it out. Winters chill was cold against his skin. He slowly stood back up straight and turned towards the inside of the hangar. His blue eyes fell onto the vehicles, especially his Sharkskie. It hadn't felt like he had been gone for long, but a strange feeling seemed to follow him wherever he went. Shark dropped his hands from his chest and walked slowly over to his yellow 'race' car. He smiled broadly and patted the car while leaning against it. He had missed it.

"Good to see you again buddy," he said rubbing the yellow and blue paint of the vehicle. But the smooth surface was dirty and a layer of dust covered Shark's hand as he ran it against the window. A streak was left behind showing where the dust had been. Shark frowned and lowered his hand. His head dropped down and he turned to lean his back against the car. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gazed out into the floor. The winter wind chilled his legs and gave him goosebumps. His mind couldn't stop thinking of what he had missed out on. What the team had done without him, how life turned when his presence had disappeared. How had life been without Shark?

The boy looked up and gazed at the other colorful cars that littered the hangar. It all looked the same but something felt different. Shark couldn't bring himself to it and pushed off of his sharkskie and headed for the stairs out of the hangar. He thought it would be best if he could clear his mind with a good swim in the pool. Something he had wanted to do for a while now. You know, go back to the way things were. And after that he would ask lioness about what had happened catch back up their relationship. But he hesitated as he raised his hand to press the button to close the hangar door. Who wouldn't feel jealous, it was only natural right? Shark took another sigh and pressed the button to close the door. He didn't want to admit it but...The truth was that it wasn't spring any more like it had been when he left. In fact, it was winter.


	12. Downtown

The Drive was nice for the two of them. So far the streets were filled with the coming night crowd and nobody was out of line. It was a casual, smooth patrol tonight. Lioness and Axel both chose to transport themselves on a pair of Cycles to maneuver the streets better. The pair came to a stoplight and relaxed a bit as traffic went by on the other side of the road. The communicator between the helmets buzzed in with a note from Axel.

"It sure seems like you're in a good mood tonight," he said to Lioness. Lioness sat back from her bike and looked at Axel; who was slightly in front of her in the next lane. She laughed to herself and rolled her eyes.

"Oh god you wouldn't have any idea," she spoke in a laugh not quite being as careful with her attitude as she could be. Axel looked back across his shoulder to her and she could see his eyes smile through the closed visor. The street lights and other car headlights flashed across the glass and his eyes were lost for a second. Lioness smiled in her sassy way and saw the green light through the reflection in Axel's helmet. She kept her eyes on him and reeved her engine hard, popping up into a wheelie before speeding off through the light. Axel chuckled lightly to himself, shaking his head, and sped after her in a cloud of smoke and rubber.

The two flashed through the streets weaving in and out of traffic with such ease that the birds above were jealous. Laughter ricocheted through the communicator followed by a whoop of victory as Lioness pulled ahead. Axel followed her movements before slowing down and parking onto the curb. It was a well light section of downtown. Bright and colorful lights reflected off the glass and metal of the buildings to fill the senses with aww and excitement. The trees held the lights in a softer fashion to guide your way down the paths to clubs and restaurants. Lioness sat up on her bike and took off her helmet with a sigh. Her hair dropped loose and she shook her head to let it fall. Axel watched her as she did and found he couldn't take his eyes away. The lights, the mood, the atmosphere. It all seemed perfect.

Lioness put her helmet on the bike and looked at the street to her side. There were a few people out and about but it wasn't too crowded yet. Axel removed his helmet and brushed his hand through his hair.

"I'm glad your in better spirits now," He said to her hooking his helmet on his handle bars, not bothering to keep it handy in case they would leave soon. Lioness looked back and smiled.

"How can I not be?" she asked him. "We're a whole team again."

Axel nodded but paused with a smile and looked out towards the nightlife of downtown. He looked back at lioness and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"It would be such a waste to go out on patrol and have nothing interesting happen," he told her with a smirk. Lioness put on a mischievous smile and slid off her bike. She came around and punched Axel in the arm.

"Well what are you waiting for, just like before right?" she asked, not quite realizing what she was saying. Axel nodded and jumped off his bike and came to her side before giving her a playful nudge. He jumped onto the sidewalk and started walking but found Lioness hesitating at her bike. Her eyes were off staring into the pavement, somewhere he hoped was not out of his reach.

"What's' wrong. You're not the type to pass on some dancing,"

Lioness broke her gaze and glared at him in a playful way before she started to walk away from her bike. Axel turned around and put a hand in his pocket the other showing her the space full of lights and entertainment.

"Come on its not that late. And if you're thinking about Shark he is probably still stuck doing tests back at the house,"

Lioness glanced once more at her bike and took a few steps forward. She was so happy, so happy that shark had come back. It was true that he was still testing with King and waiting to talk to Mister Lee. They wouldn't have much time together. And how could she not have a good time here? Shark would like to be out and party and wouldn't want to mope around like she had been doing the past few days. And she wanted him to see her with a smile on her face. He wanted her to be happy right? She took a few more steps and touched the sidewalk, passing a tree covered in small white lights.

"We'll celebrate Shark's homecoming and bring some drinks back for the guys since they can't go out now,"

Lioness nodded and jumped forward noticing a club right across the sidewalk. She could hear the base of the music through the brick walls and nodded to one of the bouncers across the door. She winked at him and whipped around to Axel. She grabbed him and pulled him towards the entrance with a cocky grin.


	13. What the Water holds

Back at the marina building the other squad members relaxed to their own leisure until it was time for their own street patrol to begin. Currently Shark and Hawk were at the indoor pool while King was off working out in the weight room. The water was warm and refreshing. Shark was swimming solo while Hawk relaxed on one of the beach chairs. With quick strokes his hands slid through the water and his body streaked across the top with ease. Shark felt his hands touch the edge of the pool and quickly dove under and flipped around while pushing against the wall. He propelled forward towards his destination. He could fly here. Become faster than the average man, exceed the expectations of those who doubted him. This was his element.

Sharks tan skin rippled under the tiny waves of the water. His hair turned to a colorful coral on the pool floor. His pacing slowed and his hands grabbed onto the edge, slicking the cement around him. Shark pulled himself up out of the water and took in a breath of air to satisfy his lungs. Shaking his head, a bit of water sprayed out and rolled down his body. Shark smiled and crossed his arms on the floor. He rested his head on them and kicked his legs to keep balance. His mischievous blue eyes locked onto Hawk, who was sitting close by.

"Come on dude, the waters perfect," Shark encouraged. A pool of water formed underneath him and spread out towards the chairs. Hawk merely looked up over the magazine he was reading and grunted in return. He lifted his magazine higher to cover more of his face. Shark pouted and frowned before looking to his elbow and spotting a water nerf ball. He grinned and snatched it up. The blonde dove underwater with a splash and squeezed it to fill it with water. The pool was silent for a moment except for the scratch of paper as Hawk turned the page. If only he knew of his imminent doom to come.

Two blue eyes appeared above the edge of the pool and gazed out into the terror zone. They locked on and the eyes steadily moved closer to the target barely making a ripple. They closed and the head disappeared. It was silent again and the hum of the pool skimmer died down. A sudden explosion of water erupted from the side of the pool as Shark jumped up. He let out a yell before throwing the nerf ball. Hawk managed to lower his magazine at the noise before being hit by the ball. Water sprayed everywhere and soaked Hawk from his chest to swim trunks. He jumped out of the chair, dropping his magazine to the floor.

Shark laughed hysterically and pointed his finger. Hawk glared up and ran to the edge to catch the boy. Shark saw this coming and merely pushed away from the wall. Hawk stopped at the edge but slipped on the slick floor and nearly fell into the pool.

"Why you! Now I'm all wet!" he muttered trying to strike fear into him through his eyes. Shark smiled and floated partially on his back.

"Dude, if you would have gotten in already we wouldn't be having this problem," he smirked, striking a grin to signal his victory. Hawk gritted his teeth for a moment more before crossing his arms over his chest and looking into the water, debating. Shark put his hands behind his head, than out, to float above the water. His eyes fell onto the ceiling and heard the splash as Hawk dove in. He could feel the water adjust to the new body and felt the ripples bounce him slightly. It was quite now with the lapping of water and slight splashing as Hawk swam.

Shark looked up into the ceiling and let his mind wander away with the ripples. His eyes became distant, his face soft. His short hair stuck out in spikes out of the water and occasionally dribbled water onto his forehead. Hawk came up beside him to try a surprise tackle but stopped suddenly.

"When do you think Lioness will be back?" Shark asked. His eyes still watched the ceiling, arms shifting to keep him still. Hawk sighed and rolled his eyes. He lost all enthusiasm for a revenge attack and slipped to his neck into the water. He was used to these sorts of remarks from Shark. And he noticed that no one else seemed to be around to those kinds of things. Of course the boy would never say anything like that to Axel and King grew annoyed after a while. All he could guess was that his sarcasm was the best response out of the three.

Hawk did a few strokes and headed for the edge, after all he was only in there for vengeance and now that that was gone he'd rather do something else. He took a breath and dove under for a bit before breaking the surface again. He made it to the ladder and pulled himself up a few rungs, now waist deep. Shark let his legs drop and he stood up in the five foot water again.

"What's happened since I've been gone?"

Hawk stopped and closed his eyes. He shook his head slightly before climbing fully out of the pool. He grabbed a clean towel and rubbed his face with it keeping his back to the pool. Shark swam forward and reached the edge waiting for a response with puppy dog eyes. Hawk put the towel around his neck and held onto the edges.

"When you say that do you mean average events or Lioness?" Hawk asked keeping himself away from Shark. He didn't want to confront him, didn't want to explain what his death had done...what it had caused. It just had to be him...

Hawk turned around with a straight face, enough for Shark to drop his smile slowly. He looked at Shark, trying to figure out what he would say, how he should explain it. But looking at him only made it harder. Shark held innocent eyes, eyes of a youthful spirit. Being in a tough business Hawk knew more about disappointment and betrayal. He dropped his towel on a chair and made a silent sigh deep within his chest.

"You were gone shark," He started looking away and to the side remembering the bitter winter months. Something made his voice rise almost to a yell. The air within the room stilled and Shark stood back from the pool edge gazing up at Hawk. He felt his heart shuddered in the warm depths of the pool. "It was rough, for all of us. You had disappeared in an instant; we all thought you were dead." Hawk raised his hands and faced shark. The surfer had a look of denial and darkness lingering in his eyes. Hawk lowered his voice and calmed down a bit. Why was he getting so aggravated? He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment putting a hand to his face to rest his head. Maybe if he closed his eyes it would go easier.

"Lioness was crushed. Nobody could cheer her up and was nearly impossible to reach through her sadness for the first month or two. We all tried to cheer up and...Axel...well he tried the hardest. He managed to get through to her. I don't know why, maybe because they used to have a little crush for each other in the beginning when we all meet. He would take her out on the town when we went and kept to her side. She started to loosen up, drink and stuff. She needed an escape and that came through Axel. They spent a lot of time together and basically..."

Hawk stopped for a moment to see how Shark would react. He opened his eyes and noticed that he moved to the side of the wall. Shark easily lifted himself out of the water with a splash and sat at the edge of the pool dangling his legs into the water. His back was facing him and Hawk looked away before continuing.

"They got close," he finished reaching out a hand as if it would help lift the burden of his words. Shark looked at him from the corner of his eyes and dropped his head to shadow his face. Somehow a forced smile came upon his lips and Shark managed a fake little laugh.

"Nothing major, He just got a few moments in," Shark said suddenly. Hawk looked up suddenly hearing him speak. But his words were not really meant for Hawk, they were words for him. Convincing himself nothing had happened. No bond had formed. He stood up out of the water pushing off his knee and shaking off. He held a smile as he passed by hawk and grabbed a towel.

"Thanks Dude," Hawk heard him say. He watched as Shark put the towel over his shoulders and walk away. The light slap of his wet feet on the floor filled the room and got softer as he left. Hawk took a deep breath again and put his hands on his hips. He didn't want to admit it really, but he was getting closer to Shark through all of this chaos.


	14. Party Starter

In all reality, Shark could only hope that his lost departure never caused any harm to his friends. That no bonds had been broken and if so, he could mend them with his return. But unfortunately he couldn't regain the time that he had lost. And now new bonds were trying to form on the lighted streets of down town, specifically a dance club called Purple Glass.

The music was loud and strobe lights streamed across the dance floor. It was a crowded night around eleven o'clock at night. The late crowd was just starting to stream in and things were heating up. The dance floor was packed with moving bodies while many more waited at the bar scooping out the newest hotties. Axel and Lioness found themselves smack dap in the middle of the floor giving all they had. Lioness was not much of a 'grinder' and added her own spunky attitude to a more hip hop dance like style. Axel admired the view he got, being a guy and all, but tried not to come on to aggressive. Lioness smiled and let the music drown her ears out and rock her body.

The base was deep and could be felt with every pulse of the music. Axel whooped and yelled with the others when a popular song and partied harder when the time came. Others spotted the two and gazed as they became the center of attention. Axel and Lioness pulled together touching in a friendly way in elaborate dance moves. The guys whistled at the exotic yellow eyed girl and the ladies perked up their eyes to watch the slick suited Axel. There were a few however through the smoke of cigarettes and drinks that were jealous of the two; sneering and rolling their eyes, especially one who sat at the bar with a not so mannered young lady. He had spotted the two and never let them leave his sight.

The music suddenly slipped from techno to a rap/hip-hop mix and things went out of control. The dance floor jumped with the beat, sweat, laughter and grins filled the air as things got hot. Bodies touched and hands rose into the air. Lioness turned to her own and popped and turned as much as she could. She felt good. Her hips turned and she felt hands slip behind her. They didn't grab hold to tight but they seemed stuck there, feeling onto her. She allowed it for a moment swinging a little harder than normal. She felt a laugh and someone come close to her. She smiled and turned around to put her arms around to the spunky boy. But her eyes stopped and she flinched. She had sworn that another had been touching her, longing to dance with her again. She had sworn Shark was there. Axel saw her change in state and frowned.

"You feeling alright?" he yelled through the music. Lioness smiled and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Of course," she replied barely able to hear herself speak. "I'm just going to take a break,"

Axel nodded and went to follow her when another girl seemed to snuggle her way into his arms. He looked at her and smiled and watched as Lioness disappeared into the crowd. It was only for a moment. Lioness finally found a break in the crowd and sighed as she found room to breath off of the dance floor. Some boys passed by and whistled. She nodded and rolled her eyes with a chuckle. She spotted the bar and snagged a spot on the end. It was hot now and Lioness wiped her brow and waved the bartender down when he was open. There were people next to her being respectful but at a club the bar was always crowded.

On her right she felt someone elbow her in the ribs and she noticed that a girl was trying to get more space. She wasn't beautiful Lioness thought, just an average slut at a club. The girl turned and noticed the look Lioness was giving her. She sneered and purposefully knocked her elbow into her arm. At that moment the bartender had come around with her drink and from the push, spilled the drink on her arm. Lioness jumped and slammed her drink down grabbing for a napkin. She was in no mood for bullshit.

"Watch what you're doing wench," Lioness said cleaning up her arm. The girl whirled around and stood up straight. Lioness watched with a "what the hell are you going to do about it look" when she noticed the boyfriend sitting there. She looked at him and didn't even bother to smile. He was hunched over with a black leather metal like outfit on. He was ugly, that was for sure, just like his girlfriend. But there was something else about him. His eyes were filled with loathing that screamed at her from his dark green iris's. But before she could take another look his girlfriend crossed her arms in front of her chest and blocked her view.

"Watch your mouth Bitch before you get hurt," she mouthed. Lioness jumped up from the bar and shoved her face in front of the girls.

"What did you say to me?!" Lioness screamed gritting her teeth. These were usually the times where her name would do her justice. Her eyes glared daggers and the girl back off a bit shorter than Lioness and not as well built. Axel suddenly appeared from the dance floor.

"Whoa, we got problems," he said looking at the two. He didn't want to be caught in a catfight. The bartender however slammed his fists on the table.

"You have issues take it outside!" he demanded. Lioness grunted and whirled around from the bar grabbing onto Axel and disappearing out the door. The girl huffed a victory and turned back to her work at hand. The man looked at her and actually smiled and touched her cheek. "Good work baby," he told her turning his back to the dance floor to swallow another beer. The spider emblem on his back (a black widow with a green spot) glimmered for a second before he stood to go get his rewards.


	15. A Gift from a bar

It was late. The sun was gone and the crickets silent. It was dark, still cold from winters fading grasp. There was a light on however, at the aquarium building; even if most of its occupants were still half asleep. The team was huddled around the laptop looking at the screen with drowsy faces. Lee was on the line currently in another part of the world. A part of the world with a time zone currently at lunch time…."sigh"

"Sorry to keep you guys up this late," Mr. Lee said giving a quick sweat and putting a hand behind his head. "Down here it's noon. I should have checked the time zones heh."

Lioness' head was picked up suddenly as she woke up from a doze. Axel held a hand to his eye to try and keep them open, Hawk was seated backwards in a chair with eyes that said "don't…talk to me", and of course Shark and King were sleeping with their heads on the counter.

"Thanks for the comfort Mr. Lee," Axel said rubbing his eyes. "But do you think you could make this quick to make up for it?" Mr. Lee nodded.

"I'll get right to the point. First off I would like to say welcome back Shark, you gave us quite a scare for a while," This was returned with a moan and lazy wave. "But the question is how did this happen? I'm sure you all know that this raises the curiosity of the City Felons that there is a stone that can bring people back from the dead." Lioness found herself looking away from the eerily lit computer screen and towards the pink crystal in the glass case across the room. The moonlight was strong and made it glow as it caressed its surface. She couldn't help but smile.

"I would like for you five to transport the crystal to my main laboratory for investigation. Clearly this stone was not made in our country so we need some research done. And be on guard, word hasn't spread much to my knowledge, but that doesn't mean there won't be trouble. But I can count on you, you're my best team. Good Luck, Have a great rest of the day,"

Someone moaned in the background.

The camera was switched off and the blinding white glow dimmed in the dark room.

"Just like Mr. Lee to call us in the freckin' middle of the night," Hawk commented with a yawn. The team rose and headed off to bed. Shark and King however stayed put. Lioness had noticed and shook her head with a silent laugh. Just like always.

It wasn't long before The light was off and most people put in their beds. But something started blinking. A red dot flashed in the green room of Lioness. Down on the floor where her jacket lay, a small tracer steadily blinked on through the night.


	16. Broken Glass

It was dark and the windows showed the small lights of the city far off in the distance. The occasionally laptop light flickered steadily with its green hue as did the TV waiting to be used. It was quiet and the occasional cricket chirped. But in the darkness a red light flashed. It had gone unnoticed by the whole team. It was different than all the others. Its hue was bright and the color of blood. Placed there by a member of the black widow gang during a small bar scuffle earlier that night. The tracker had found its home on the Jacket of Lioness. It currently flashed in the corner of her room where the jacket had been dropped. Unlike all of the inhabitants in the house, this device lay awake telling the secrets of where their hideout was hidden. And of course to the watchful eye, this did not go unnoticed.

Something had shifted the blank gazes of the living room windows. It had flickered the reflections of the street lights down below. The room stayed still for a moment until there was a light tap on the glass windows. Nothing reacted in the house; the only movement came from a light crossing over the glass case of the pink crystal. It lay dormant in a glass box in the room waiting to be used once again. This crystal had seemed to be the source of immortality. It had taken the dead and revived them so that they could live again. Its powers were still unknown and the only clue to its energy lay somewhere inside the body of the one it had revived…Shark of the Alpha teens.

There was another small tap on the glass as a black gloved hand touched its surface. There were a few loud clunks as metal stuck onto the glass. The shadows went still again.

The air within the room seemed to suddenly suck together until a large crash and crack of glass filled the room. Thousands of shattered pieces of glass flew into the room and dove into the furniture of the building. The rest clattered loudly on the floor and crunched as various metal legs came in from the shadows of outside. The sudden hole to the open air fluttered loose papers across the tables and sent the curtains rustling.

Axel had jumped awake grabbing onto his sheets. He glanced around his room before stumbling out of bed. Hawk threw open his door with sleepy eyes as King ran down the hall. Shark awoke so quickly that he fell out of bed and Lioness immediately threw her covers off. It only took a matter of seconds for the team to rush down the hall and enter the living room in their pajamas. They stopped as the image of Spydah came to their eyes rushing to the glass box across the room.

"Stop him!" Axel yelled jumping forward. Reluctantly the team sprang into action to stop the intruder. Looking to his side Spydah saw the teens and sneered at them.

"You're too late kids!" he yelled throwing one of his metal legs forward. He laughed but stopped as a body stood in the way. Shark stood with his back against the glass case holding onto the metal fingers, trying to push them back. His blue eyes caught those of the intruders and Spydah hesitated for a moment.

Given the chance Hawk jumped forward with Lioness to karate kick the freak in the face. With a yelp the mechanical man fell to the floor with a loud crash and withdrew his leg from Shark's grasp. The teen smiled and watched as King leapt on top of the beast to hold him down. Axel ran forward and grabbed one of the metal legs.

"Quick, Shark! Turn on the alarm system!" Axel yelled struggling as the man began to regain his senses.

Shark nodded and turned towards the other side of the room. He left the case and jumped over a fallen chair. But the alarm was across the room over the broken glass. He landed and felt the shards dig into his feet. He yelped but managed not to fall down. If he did he would have had glass penetrate all of his body. With a grimace Shark closed one eye and sprinted towards the alarm. He lifted up the case and slammed his fist on the red button. Orange lights started to flash within the room and the lights came on in the house. An alarm started to sound and an automatic trip went to the police station.

Spydah brought his legs together and managed to fling the young adults off of him. They flew across the room and hit against various objects. He looked up with a curse at the alarm and saw his chance at the box. Lioness looked up and saw that to get to the alarm Shark had left the crystal wide open. She jumped up and slide across the front of the case ignoring the bits of glass that found their way into her.

Spydah glared at the girl through his helmet and lashed out anyway. But this time he threw down a bottle filled with a purple liquid at Lioness's feet. It exploded into a cloud of smoke to fill her lungs. She coughed as the fumes filled her lungs and raised an arm to shield her face. Seizing the opportunity Spydah lashed forward to knock her away from the case but stopped as a man jumped onto his back. Shark put an arm around Spydah's neck to try and get him in a chock hold. How dare he do such a thing to Lioness! Usually he held poisons and toxins and that was never a good sign.

Filled with rage Shark managed to get a good hold onto the man. Spydah gasped and grabbed the man's arms to try and release himself from the hold. He flailed two of his metal legs, one going for the cloud of dispersing smoke and another towards the couch.

Lioness was unable to see the oncoming attack. Her eyes started to blur and her head felt dizzy. There was an unusual weakness in her knees that threatened to give out from under her. Unable to comprehend the world around her, she only felt something shove heavily into her side. She was thrown to the side as a shower of glass fell onto her and her rescuer.

As the metal leg flailed out towards the two team mates it shattered the glass box holding the crystal. It flew through the air and landed with a clatter on the small step that led to the kitchen. Hawk stood up and felt the glass fall from his back. He saw the crystal fall to the ground. He knew he had to retrieve it before Spydah had noticed. Hawk looked down and saw Lioness safely at his feet. Teammates came before the mission though. He quickly bent down to help her stand up. She coughed and staggered to her feet keeping her eyes closed. The blurriness was beginning to clear but something filled her head that she couldn't explain.

Hawk saw Axel rush to his side. The two held Lioness steady until Axel noticed that the crystal had been moved. He looked to Hawk and then to Lioness.

"Quick grab the crystal before Shark loses his grip!" he yelled. Hawk nodded and passed Lioness to him. He dashed forward and looked to see if the spider had noticed.

Spydah was yelling and fell to his knees as Shark kept a strong hold on him. King had awoken and grabbed onto two of the legs to try and kept them from prying off his teammate. Shark tried to keep his grasp tight but found that Spydah's own hands started to rip at his arm. Clothed in only a shirt and boxers he felt the scratches and squeezing fingers. King managed a smile through his struggle as the team began to get the upper hand. But as he took a step back to readjust his footing he stepped into a pile of glass shards that engulfed his foot. He yelped and flinched which gave Spydah enough time to react before he passed out.

Spydah knocked King away and sent him to the floor before turning them around towards Shark. One of the legs slammed into Shark's back to make him yell and loosen his grip. The leg than grabbed the teen by the back and threw him across his shoulder and into some cushioned chairs to shatter them. Grabbing his throat, Spydah looked about and gasped for breathe. He had seen the crystal fall from its perch. He quickly glanced around and saw the precious object and the teen with orange hair running after it.

Hawk and Spydah locked eyes for a minute knowing that both of them were after the same thing. Hawk leapt forward towards the crystal in a final effort to grab it but the metal legs of the goon got there first. Hawks hands were turned away as they hit the metal spider leg. He fell to the floor and saw the leg lift up the crystal as another pushed down on his chest to keep him pinned to the floor.

In a raspy laugh Spydah lifted up the crystal to look at it. He glanced back down towards the team and saw them recuperating. Knowing he couldn't defeat them all he made a swift retreat towards the window and jumped out to the ground. Using his metal legs to catch his fall Spydah took off into the woods and disappeared from sight with a laugh.


	17. Right?

Shark looked up from the rubble of the chairs. One of his eyes were closed tight from the dust and he put a hand on his knee as he sat there. A position far too familiar for the team. King had noticed it and stopped for a minute. The expression on Shark's face and his positioning...It took him a moment to shake off the dark memories. King ran over to him and held out his hand. Shark looked up and smiled as he grabbed hold and pulled himself up. He stood to his feet and King brushed off some glass that had fallen onto his shoulders. But King also gave Shark a swift pat on the back. Shark smiled at the man. King had never done that before.

Lioness could see better now but her world was still whirling. She knew she was sitting down and that someone was looking at her and saying her name. But there was a sensation that filled her eyes and heart. She had been in trouble right? Than this must have been who had saved her. She held a hand to her head and felt that her hair had been pulled out of her usual pony tail. As the strange fuzziness of her heart grew, her vision cleared.

"Lioness," she heard. "Lioness!"

She looked up with clear eyes and saw...Axel kneeling in front of her. She seemed surprised to see him. She felt her pulse quicken. He stood in most of her view focusing her attention on him. He held her shoulders to keep her standing up straight but lowered them as she began to react.

"Axel, what are you doing?" she said as her cheeks flushed red. The man smiled at her in relief.

"You inhaled some toxins that Spydah gave off and got disoriented," he told her.

Lioness nodded as things began to get clear again. She looked past him to help jog her memory. The window was smashed and the freezing night air flowed into the room. She could feel it now that her adrenaline had started to slow down. But did it really? She still felt her blood and heart pumping pretty hard. Was it because she was still ready to fight? She looked back to Axel and found her gaze straying into his eyes.

That's right. Spydah had broken into the aquarium. He had come for the mysterious pink crystal. Shark had been protecting it when he ran off to go turn on the alarm. She had gone to protect it when everything went blank and someone shoved her to the ground. She looked at Axel. _He must have been the one who saved me_ she thought to herself. Lioness looked back to Axel who smiled at her. She felt her cheeks go red as that new feeling returned to her. She broke gaze and Axel gave her a curious glance.

Hawk got to his feet and brushed off his hands. He looked at them and saw bruises already starting to form. He picked out a chip of glass and a drop of blood came off. King walked towards the window to look out and Shark came over to where Lioness and Axel were sitting. Lioness stood up suddenly as he came over.

"Are you alright, I saw you acting strange back there," Shark asked. His eyes looked her over to make sure she seemed ok. He touched her arm affectionately and Axel noticed it. Lioness had noticed it to. She looked down at it and sneakily shrugged it off in a fake attempt to put her hair behind her shoulder.

"I'm alright, just a little dazed. You don't have to be that worried," she said trying to keep her snazzy attitude. Why would he touch her like that when other guys were around?

King turned back from the window with his arms crossed.

"Well we can't leave the window like this. We are going to have to clean this up before we get back to sleeping."

There was a unanimous groan from the friends. Hawk began picking at the pieces of glass that were stuck to his chest noticing how his new pajamas were now ruined.

"But before that we should clean up all this glass from ourselves. They could easily get infected." King mentioned again carefully heading towards the newly formed group. They stood together and nodded in agreement. Shark looked to Lioness again.

"But I think we should run some tests on Lioness before we go to bed. Just to be safe," He mentioned looking to King. King rubbed his face and eyes with a sigh. It was nearly two thirty in the morning. But he nodded his head and dropped his hand from his face. Since Axel didn't have any glass in his feet he went off to get some towels and antiseptic. The window remained broken and let the cold flood into the room to give everyone a chill. The team sat down and began to clean their wounds and throw away the bloody pieces of glass.

Lioness looked up from her work and out the window into the night sky. She had been saved many times before by her friends, especially Axel. But why did this time seem so much more different? She smiled to herself as her eyes looked off into something distant. Shark came and sat beside her with a bloody towel in his hands. He cocked his head at her and then caught sight of the cuts on her hands. He had also noticed a pretty decent cut across her shoulder that had dripped with blood. It must have happened when she was defending the crystal. He gently took her hands and looked them over.

"You should really get this out dude, you don't want to get them infected," he joked giving her a quick glance. Lioness looked down and watched as he touched her hand and sat right up against her. She caught a glimmer of his sweet blue eyes as he looked at her and she smiled. He did have very pretty eyes. But another image came into her head. They were a pair of green eyes looking strongly into hers. They were filled with a hidden and deep love. They were Axels' eyes. Lioness shook her head and put her fingers to her forehead. What in the world was she thinking?

Shark looked up at her concerned. Was she still feeling ill after inhaling the fumes? He was worried and didn't want to wait to do the tests on her.

"Does your head hurt? Are you dizzy? Are you sure you're ok?" Shark asked with his puzzled puppy face. Lioness took her hand off her head and looked at Shark. She smiled at him and kissed him on the forehead. This calmed the blonds' nerves and he smiled at her. Shark lifted up his head and the two sat facing each other for a while. Shark came a little closer and Lioness let him. She closed her eyes and found something stir in her chest. She opened her eyes and withdrew right before she touched his lips as Axel came walking over. For some reason she didn't want him to see her kissing Shark.

"King said that his foot is cut pretty bad and might need stitches. Are you guys hurt badly anywhere?" he asked. Shark turned to him a little upset that he could not show his compassion for his lover. He let go of Lioness's hand and held out his forearm and pointed to various scratches.

"I think I'll have to be tested with rabies," he joked. Axel let out a laugh and glanced to Lioness before he left. She didn't say anything out loud but he was making sure that if she wanted to say something she could have. She smiled at him then put her hand on Shark's thigh that was touching hers. She turned back to Shark who was watching Axel leave. He had smooth skin the color of sand, and blond hair that seemed to stick up no matter what. And he had those magnificent blue eyes that always held laughter and never closed except for sleep. He held a smile that never vanished and always brightened up the room.

She had been with him a long time now. They played together, worked together, fought together. Lioness ran her fingers through his hair and Shark looked to her surprised. She finally had him back. He had a puppy face that was soft. Lioness smiled warmly at him that made Shark come close and peck her gently on the cheek. She giggled to herself. She would love him always...

Right?


	18. The Clock Ticks back

The next day was filled with disappointment and aggression. Construction workers had dropped by and started fixing the window while everyone was still asleep. They said they had to fix it now and the team had to deal with the noise. They had spent a long night cleaning up their wounds and the glass. It had taken forever to pick up all the shards and find a way to secure the window for the night. And now they had a problem of having their location being figured out. They knew there would be no end to the fighting. They had to search and find out how the enemy had found their whereabouts. Unfortunately they found the black and red spider tracker and knew who had the crystal now. Before their thoughts could worsen the team managed to get a few hours of sleep in. All of it was cleared by now and the team decided to get on with their duties.

Shark sat backwards in a chair down by the hangar. He crossed his arms over the back and watched as King set up his mobile medical pack. The living room was filled with workers so they had to go somewhere else. Lioness sat on a table and swung her legs back and forth. She took a breath test and was currently getting a prick on her finger to see her blood contents. Hawk was over by his bike, cleaning it up but keeping attentive ears to wait for the news. Axel was leaning against the wall watching as well. He had been poisoned before and that had led to disaster among the team.

King waited at his computer screen before the results popped up on the monitor. Shark perked up and Lioness bent over to see what was up. King made a few noises then turned the computer towards the others. Axel and Hawk looked up from what they were doing.

"The tests say that your vitals are working perfectly but in your blood sample there was this compound I don't recognize," King said. He pointed to a certain section of the computer to show what he was talking about. Shark cocked his head at it not really able to comprehend the medical terminology. Axel came over and looked at the screen himself. He peered closely at it but couldn't recognize the compound either.

"I'll have to send it to Lee for analysis; better yet I'd bring it myself. He is probably still halfway across the world and I don't trust his scientists to much."

The team nodded and Lioness pulled off a band aid that was on her arm. Shark scratched at his own bandages around his form arm and feet. The glass had cut pretty deep in all of them. King closed down his computer and started to clean up his equipment, muttering something to himself. Shark looked up at Lioness and smiled at her. She would be able to continue her duties until they figured out what was wrong with her.

Lioness smiled back at Shark but smiled harder as Axel came over. She jumped off the table and shifted her weight to one leg and faced him. Before anything could be said Shark stood up with a stifled laugh and turned the chair back over to the table.

"You want to get going now Lioness, We've got patrol that started five minutes ago man," he said. Lioness nodded with a 'hell yeah' kind of attitude and winked at Axel before walking past him. She flicked her hair and found that her hips swayed just a bit more as she passed. Axel found himself starring at her. Shark had noticed his friend goggling at his girlfriend.

His eyes hardened and his fists clenched together. His yellow gloves sounded like leather as the fabric rubbed together. Without even realizing it Lioness turned back to Shark and smiled at him grabbing his arm to pull him forward. Shark waited a second starring hard at Axel. What the hell was he thinking, looking at her like that? He knew she was his. He glared to make his point.

Axel felt eyes piercing into him and he looked up to see Shark glaring at him before turning around as he and Lioness walked off towards their bikes. Axel shut his mouth and felt a tension rise between the two. It was an old feeling that had passed between them. Axel had every right to look at someone when they walked. Who was Shark to tell him what to do?

Axel looked away and saw that King was still busy at his computer and that he had not noticed his jealousy. He turned away and hesitated a minute as troubled thoughts filled his mind.

Shark had come back. Lioness was not open to other men. Or was she? There had been a time span of four weeks that Shark had been dead. Just because he was revived and living didn't mean anything right? If Lioness had had a change of heart during that time it wasn't his fault. He was just being a good friend and helping her to move on. And it wasn't his fault that she suddenly started giving him more attention. Maybe it was about time he took over the reins. After all, they had shared their own fair amount of time together. And even…a kiss…

Lost in his thoughts Axel turned away and headed up the stairs from the hanger. His steps clicked against the stone until he opened the door and went into the living room. Hawk watched him leave and sat back onto his knees. He finished wiping his hands off on a towel and rested them in his lap. He knew something was up. King may not have noticed the tension form but he had seen it.

Hawk put the towel down and looked back at his bike. It seemed that a different kind of trouble of was starting again. A trouble he was all too familiar with. But it was different. It had morphed into something much more complex than before. He sighed to himself and picked up some tools to continue working. The future didn't seem to bright anymore.


	19. Time

_So lovely and beautiful. Every time his eyes met hers she felt her heart falter and grow weak. Her cheeks flushed and the air of romance filled her touch. It was a pink haze that filled her vision every time she saw him. It held a lovely aroma. It excited her blood and made everything seem perfect. It would be wonderful if it wasn't for this annoying thought that tugged at her soul. She felt it whenever she looked at _**him**_. This one caused an immense pain to fill her brain and scatter the lovely pink haze that held tight onto her. He would help her right? Save her from this other _**him**_. But for some reason she felt that he could not do the job…That there was something else that only _**h**_**e** could do…_

As Axel, King, and Hawk were busy back at the aquarium building, Shark and Lioness went on their scheduled street patrol. They were calm and laid back like they usually were but there was that hidden thread of worry hanging in the back of their thoughts. Who now possessed the crystal? It could have fallen into the hands of anybody. But of course the one and only Paine seemed to be the only culprit. It would only be a matter of time.

The streets were busy in afternoon traffic. It wasn't that heavy, mostly light travel. The cars sputtered and sped along as the two team mates weaved in and out of their paths. Their engines roared and echoed along the sidewalks. Their colors of green and yellow flashed past the store windows and flickered against the hoods of cars. The wind slid like oil against their bodies as the finely colored suits mimicked their bikes.

Shark pushed back his wrist to accelerate faster and catch up to Lioness's side. He glanced to the side through his tinted visor and saw her glance back at him. They looked away as they both swerved to opposite sides of an oncoming car. Shark fell back in line behind lioness and found it hard to keep his gaze on the street. They rounded a corner and Shark took this opportunity to cut across and dash to Lionesses side. He glanced to her and she peered over.

The communicator broke in as the two watched each other. They had enough skill to ride even without looking.

"Shouldn't you keep your eyes on the road? We are on patrol you know," lioness said through the scratchy line. Shark grinned and playfully swerved close to her bike. Her words were more bitter than he would have liked for them to sound but he would take it. It was nice to have alone time with her. Shark laughed through his helmet.

"Well you're on the road now aren't cha'," he joked. The two giggled for a moment before going through a few stop lights and rounding the city corners. They were to go around the whole city inside and out which would take all day. There had been little trouble, nothing a stern talking to couldn't handle. The two were about three fourths of the way done and ready to find something else to fill their time.

Lioness found it easy to pass the time. All she had to do was think about last night. She had fallen into a story book fairy tale. A fair maiden in danger, rescued by her knight in shining armor. She pictured Axel's face starring into hers. It was so nice…Why hadn't she seen this before?

Was it love? This made her blood rush and her heart pump faster. She felt like she was in high school again. How a girl would look on at her crush. But this time he was tangible. They would make a nice couple…Love…that's what it was.

Love………..

_Shark felt an urge and he kissed Lioness on top of her head before looking back up towards the television. Lioness giggled and snuggled closer to him closing her eyes trying to take a nap. Paine had been causing a lot of trouble and the team didn't get much sleep any more from all of the attacks. She hadn't had a good rest in a long time. It was a good thing that this goofy lump was so soft…She was about to fall asleep when Axel called her name from the garage. Lioness groaned and made a face before sitting up and pouting towards Shark._

_"Why are you lookin' at me like that?" Shark asked laughter hidden in his words._

_Lioness smiled and stood up but not without rustling Sharks hair before turning to see who had called her….._

_Lioness and Shark tumbled around through the trees till they came to a clearing. The river could be seen through the trees and Lioness fell next to Shark on the grass. They laid side by side looking up at the clouds. Shark sighed and closed his eyes while Lioness turned her head to look at him. She smiled and grabbed his hand into hers and looked back up into the sky……_

_Lioness pushed the door open slightly. She peered around the corner and smiled as she saw Shark standing over by his bed. He had strolled over after coming from the bathroom. He sighed and rubbed his head before pulling his arms back and taking off his white shirt. He dropped it to the floor._

_He was always such a messy kid._

_He then picked up his earphones from the dresser and placed them in his ears. Her eyes warmly smiled as he began to bob his head back and forth to his tunes. Lioness closed her eyes and smiled to herself. She wondered what kind of music he listened to all the time. She opened them again and cocked her head. Shark had disappeared from the room. She glanced around but found the sliver of the door opening wasn't good enough. She pushed the door open some more and leaned forward inside. Where had he gone?!_

_"Looking for someone?"_

_Lioness flinched and looked over to the wall. Shark was standing there with his arms folded against his chest. His ear phones dangled around his neck and his hair hung down not as spiked as it normally was. He smiled at her with mischief in his blue eyes. Lioness smiled but said nothing. Shark stood up from the wall and gently grabbed her hand._

_"Why not come and see what I'm listening to," he softly spoke to her. Lioness came forward slipping her arm up Shark's and around his waist. She smiled and kept starring into his eyes as the door gently clicked behind them…_

Lioness screamed as a sudden pain filled her brain. It streaked through every nerve and she closed her eyes. Her bike skidded on the pavement and she swerved towards the sidewalk. A car honked behind her and Lioness flew a hand up to stop the pain. Her eyes started to tear and she felt like exploding. Make it stop! Make it stop! She shrieked to herself.

"Lioness!" Shark yelled seeing her suddenly give out. He quickly came side by side with her bike and grabbed onto the handle bars. He cursed under his breath and looked up as she tilted her head down. Shark swiftly glanced up and saw them coming to a stop light. He slowed his own bike and reached over and pushed Lioness's hand off the gas. The two bikes slowed down to a stop.

"Lioness, are you sure your alright? You suddenly swerved slightly like you were sleeping or something." He told her. He tried to look into her visor but the tints between the two helmets blocked off most of his view. Lioness suddenly flung her head up; the pain was gone as was her memory.

She had told him that she was fine already today. God why did he have to be so freckin' annoying?

"Didn't I already tell you like three times today that I'm fine? God, stop nagging me. I know when I don't feel good!" she said.

Shark let go of her handle bars. He slowly tilted back into his own seat. He looked at her utterly confused. She was nearly bitting his head off. His blue eyes were wide as he carefully watched her. Through the communicator Shark heard Lioness start to say something but she stopped.

Lioness looked away from Shark and down at her bike. Oh how nice it would be to listen to Axel, he didn't say such stupid things all the time. The pain seemed to slow. She looked up towards the red light and felt her vision blur for a moment. Shark stayed silent but had one hand sort of reached out towards her. He didn't exactly know what to do.

Lioness looked up towards the street light again. She felt her stomach twist and it made her feel uneasy.

"I think I'm going to go back home early. You can handle a patrol right?" She asked turning over towards him. Shark noticed that one of her eyes were closed and she looked like she was in pain.

"Yeah but--," He stammered. Lioness saw the light turn green through the reflection in Shark's helmet. She turned back on her bike and revved the engine.

"Wait don't you think I should come to!" Shark asked as Lioness began to pull away. He quickly put his feet back up and tried to follow her but she sped ahead and cut across the street to make a left turn.

"Naw I can handle it!" she yelled through the communicator as she weaved through traffic. Shark went to follow her but was stopped by a flow of oncoming vehicals. Various cars honked nearly hitting him. Shark skid to a stop and watched as Lioness's figure disappeared down the road.

"But," he told himself.

The communicator had been closed. He wanted to follow her but knew he had to finish this patrol or he would get in trouble with the whole team. And he didn't want that. But what was he to do? Time had been the same for him so why was Lioness acting like that towards him.

Another car on the opposite honked at him as he blocked traffic. He stood still for a moment before bending down to his bike and spiking the engine. It whistled and roared before he took off down the road in a different direction than his lover.

* * *

Lioness felt lost by the city. The lights flowed by like a current and the constant hum of the engines were becoming an annoying drone. It seemed like everything was all show, trying to pull in her and have fun. Tell her to have a drink, relax, have a good time. She wanted to rid herself of this nasty feeling but as she looked into the windows of clubs and restaurants all she seemed to see was snooty lovers and players. Nothing seemed to fill her appetite. Right now all she wanted was to go home.

* * *

The windows and cars went by slowly like a movie. Shark looked at the street signs and shops. They were all the same. The only thing different was that snow melted on the sidewalks. It agitated him. Why, when everything was normal, did everyone have to act so different? Wasn't he just there the other day fooling around with Lioness in his arms about to go on a mission in an old weapons…..

Shark looked over to a couple of people who were walking on the street not even noticing him drive by. They didn't seem influenced by his presence now….or even when he was dead.

Oh yeah…he had been dead..

* * *

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy it.**


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